


Line of best fit

by bellmare



Category: Persona 4
Genre: 5 Times, Denial, F/F, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gay Panic, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2014-09-25
Packaged: 2018-02-18 18:50:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2358512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellmare/pseuds/bellmare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Chie and Yosuke have a go at cementing their totally romantic relationship, and the one time they finally stopped pretending. </p>
<p>Or, Chie Satonaka and Yosuke Hanamura Attempt To Convince Everyone Around Them (and, Especially Themselves and Each Other) That They Were 100% Heterosexual.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Line of best fit

**0.**  

It's an accident; neither of them have no idea how it happens. She's just walking home with Yosuke for some reason she can't quite fathom or remember, and they're silent nearly the entire way. The gravel of the road crunches underfoot; she half-glances back towards Junes, and stuffs her hands deeper into her jacket pockets. It's been a week since the murders stopped. Life feels weird. Different, when they're not crawling into the TV to do battle with flaming chariots and bondage giants strapped to wheels.

... on second thought, she's kind of glad they've stopped.

"Let's go out," Yosuke blurts out in a rush.

"We're already out, stupid." she says reflexively. Yosuke purses his lips.

"No! I mean, like. Go out-out."

"What?" Chie says once she ascertains that she isn't mishearing things, and that her ears are still fully functional. Maybe Yosuke's saying dumb things because he's got his headphones on and he's singing along to his music, or something.

"I dunno." He hooks his finger onto the headphone band, tugging them off. She can hear the music leaking from the speakers, low and tinny in the cool air. She's surprised his eardrums are still intact. "For the sake of it, I guess?"

_What's the point of that_? she wants to know. She doesn't say that, but tries to pinch him in the crook of the elbow. Her fingers dig into his sleeve instead, and she curses his thick, puffy jacket. "What the hell, Yosuke."

"We're second-years," he says. "And we've never gone out with anyone."

"Oh, yeah? What makes you think so? Y'mean you didn't go out with anyone at the city? I thought you were always going on and on about how cute and stylish and fun city girls were."

Yosuke pauses, his breath fogging through the air. "Wait, wait, wait. I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that last bit, but you mean you've dated someone bef--"

"Argh, no, stupid! That's none of your business!"

They've stopped walking. He opens his mouth, looking like he wants to press his case. He closes it again when she moves her foot and treads on his toes with a certain grim deliberation.

"Ow! Well, er, okay. Anyway, don't you want to try it out at least once? I mean, dating in middle school and high school and college are totally different things, right, and we're sort of running out of time. We'll have things like entrance exams and university applications to think about, once next year rolls around. And it's kinda hard to sustain a relationship with someone outside of the group, y'know? How are you supposed to explain all that business of shadows and personas and stuff?"

Yosuke cocks his head to the side. "Though, uh, I guess if you and Yukiko still have a th--"

"Oh, so like how you and Souji have a _thing_ , then?" she says. She can't even recognise the sound of her own voice; how sharp and pointed it becomes, like she's got something to prove or something to hide. She isn't  _Yosuke_ , for god's sake.

"Sh, shh, shhhh,  _shhhh_!" Yosuke hisses. "Not so loud, geez! Me and Souji didn't have a  _thing_!"

"Shh yourself," she says before she can stop herself. "And it's Souji and I."

"What, what went on between you and him-- I mean, between you two wrestling with each other for fun down by the Samegawa?"

"Nothing!"

"Good!"

"Good!" she shouts back. She has no idea why they're yelling, or why her face suddenly feels so warm.

It always ends up like this. An endless, clumsy dance that leads back to an issue they've never addressed, or even acknowledged. Chie sighs and watches her breath puffing out through her mouth and nose. "I guess it's settled, then," she says, shaping her voice into something softer, quieter. "Fine, let's go out."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Yosuke huddles deeper into his jacket. He doesn't look as happy as he would normally be; nor does he look particularly upset, either. Something like resignation sinks across his shoulders, hunching them inwards. She wonders if she looks the same. "Cool. That's ... that's cool."

.

**1.**

She's sure it's not supposed to be like that when they kiss.

She's seen movies. She's read some of the books they sell at the Yomenaido Bookstore.

The first time she made out with Yosuke wasn't anything to write home about. No fireworks. No excitement. Her heart didn't start beating faster -- or, well, it did, just a little, because Yosuke wasn't really what she'd call  _bad-looking_ and he's still a guy, even if she's not that into him.

They're in the back row of a movie theatre, ignoring the film. Something with lots of things exploding, lots of swaggering action heroes and fast, shiny cars drifting across asphalt. No kung-fu, no honour, no elaborate fight scenes, nothing. What's even the point? But if Yosuke's paying, the least she can do is let him choose the movie.

"You don't have to look to put-out," he says when they break apart. "You look like you're thinking about the maths midterms."

"Eurgh, don't say things like that." Chie says and shoves him. "And have you even kissed anyone before?"

"Shut up, I've kissed tons of people!"

"Okay," she says. She tries to ignore the screeching of tires as one of the main characters in the movie attempts to drive a ... a robot? A robot that turns into a car. A robot that moonlights as a car and shoots things to blow them up. Naoto would enjoy the movie more. Or maybe Yukiko would, it's weird and lacking enough in plot for her to be able to laugh at. Wait, wait, she's on a date, how can she think about Yukiko at a time like this?

"Let's try again?"

Chie almost can't hear his voice amidst the pounding bass of the movie's soundtrack. "Yeah," she says and digs her fingers into his collar. He allows himself to be pulled without resistance and tilts his head, just enough. She closes her eyes.

Somewhere along the way, his hand slides under her shirt. She's ready to snap at him, to brush him away but -- but that's not right, they're  _dating_  and this is what happens when people who're dating make out. She decides to let it slide and his hand brushes carefully, tentatively against her breast.

It's not awful. It's not the worst in the world. She has no idea why she isn't particularly enjoying kissing him.

"Did you feel something?" Yosuke murmurs against her jawbone.

What's she supposed to have felt? A sudden explosion of passion? "Um," she says instead, once her head's stopped buzzing. "I think another building in the movie just blew up."

"Oh," Yosuke says, and puts his 3D glasses back on.

.

**2.**

"Y'know ... I've kind of wondered, why are we even together?"

It's unseasonably hot this early in the year. Summer shouldn't even arrive until another month or so.

Yosuke stares down at his supplementary English homework. He attempts to fan himself with a sheaf of worksheets and manages a few limp, half-hearted flaps before stopping.

"Huh? Where did that come from?"

"I dunno," Chie says, thinking of Yukiko with her long, dark hair. Yukiko, with her smooth, pale skin. Yukiko, with her gentle hands and her delicate manners and ... and outrageous laugh. Ah, Yukiko. "Out of all the girls in Yasogami. Why did you ask to get together with me? We could both be dating other people ... well, okay, not that there'd be a lot of people who'd tolerate you like I do, but, yeah. Why are we even together? What do you like enough about me to warrant asking to get together, out of the blue?"

"Because you're a girl?" He lowers his voice and says the last few words very quickly. "And because you're a girl you have boobs and I like boobs?"

"Argh," Chie says, and reflexively kicks him under the table. He doesn't see it coming, and yelps with pain when her big toe connects with his shin. "Well,  _thank you_  for noticing, I guess!"

"Ow, shit, it's because we're friends and got along, okay!"

"Well, you became friends with Yukiko and the others too, didn't you?"

"It's not the same. And I like your bowlcut hairdo and how you're strong enough to probably suplex me or something."

"How's it not the sa-- wait, what?"

"What?" Yosuke says, before a look of dawning horror crawls across his face. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, please don't hit me again."

"What's that supposed to mean?! My  _bowlcut_? My ... suplexing ability? Look, if you said something gross like, I dunno, my legs or my boobs or my butt I wouldn't ... I wouldn't be so--"

"Well, what about you! Why did you agree in the first place?!"

She aims for his ankle, and misses. Yosuke fidgets again, and attempts to disguise his knee-jerk evasive maneuver as a cough. "Don't change the subject!"

"Look, I was being honest! It's not fair if I'm the only one laying my heart bare!"

"Um," Chie says, trying to lower her voice. They're supposed to be on a study date, not arguing. A date that just incidentally involves studying. A date where she's resolutely not thinking of places she'd rather be.

She ends up going with the first thought that pops into mind. "I ... uh. That weird, awkward laugh you do every time you can't answer the teacher's questions?"

"What the hell, Chie!"

"I don't know, okay, don't put me in the spot like that! I think your red pants are cool too, I guess?"

"Oh, great, my weird laugh and red pants. Who am I, Yukiko?"

His voice dribbles away almost as soon as he finishes talking. "Oh, um. Okay," he says.

"Shut up," Chie says, trying to change the subject. For once, Yosuke drops the subject. She picks up one of the CDs on his shelf and stuffs it into his player. "It's too hot to think about homework. Let's have a break?"

"Yeah," Yosuke says, trying very hard to avoid her eyes. They make out to some forgettable song and he has no idea what to do with his hands, other than to put him on her chest. God. Does he not realise that there are other parts of her body?

She runs her hand through his hair and is disappointed by the texture -- it's not long and dark and silky -- it's too light, too short, stiff where he's run styling gel through it, like it's been bleached one too many times. It's not  _bad_ , she supposes; just different.

When his fingers move over her breast she thinks, momentarily, about Yukiko. Yukiko would know what to do, she thinks, because she's a girl too, and girls know what other girls want and what they like. Yukiko would be a lot better at this.

.

**3.**

Souji and Yukiko start dating after a while, after Chie and Yosuke do everything in their power to get them together.

"Look, we want to make sure they're getting the best person for each other, right?" she says. "Right," Yosuke replies.

Still, she can't explain why she feels so weird every time she gets photo messages from Yukiko detailing the fun she's having with Souji on their dates. There are photos of them at Croco Fur together trying on Groucho glasses.   Trying on ... cheerleading outfits and three-piece suits and reindeer costumes while wearing Groucho glasses.  Photos Yukiko snapped while riding Souji's scooter to the beach, and driving  _slightly above the speed limit._  Photos of Souji petting cats.

There's absolutely nothing romantic about any of that, she thinks as she scrolls through the photos. There's no hand-holding, no cuddling, no giggly kissing, no making out, no nothing. But that's what she's doing with Yosuke, right, so it counts. Doesn't it.

Yosuke peers at her phone from opposite the table. "Man, I wish I was there," he says ruefully.

"Me too," she says without thinking. And she isn't, not really. She's thinking about going out with Yukiko. Going for movies. It's ... it's something corny and they lean against one another, shoulders touching. She thinks about Yukiko's mouth curving into a smile; Yukiko's hand brushing against her wrist as she reaches for the popcorn. She thinks about sitting opposite Yukiko in one of those diner-style restaurants, just like in the American movies. She thinks about Yukiko's dark eyes and dark, dark hair, shining in the light.

"... is that what people do on real dates?" Yosuke's saying. It takes a while to wrench her mind off of her wistful imaginings of dinner and movies with Yukiko. Date night with Yukiko. But, like, not a date-date, but a friend-date. Or maybe a date-date, that'd be nice too.

"Huh?" she says when she realises Yosuke's been staring expectantly at her, a crease between his brows. She wonders if he thinks she's a crummy girlfriend. Aren't people in relationships supposed to pay attention to each other?

"I was saying, is that the sorta thing people do on real dates?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chie asks slowly. They're at Aiya's because they're having a Rainy Day Beef Bowl Challenge. Is it the ambiance? The atmosphere? The fact that it's pouring buckets outside? What's Yosuke's problem? Aren't dates where people go to places they like and ... talk? Goof off? Eat? Something like that. "C'mon, this totally counts as a date."

"Does it?" Yosuke says doubtfully, watching as a server places the Rainy Day Beef Bowl in front of her. "Where are they even going where the weather's good enough to do all that? And are you gonna eat all that?"

"Uh-huh."

"Chie, you can't be serious. That bowl's big enough for me to fit my head into. I'm gazing into the abyss of the Meat Dimension and I think it's gazing back at me."

"No, that's just your reflection on the egg yolk," she says and pokes her chopstick into it.

.

**4.**

"Last time," Chie says on a cloudy afternoon on the Yasogami rooftop. "When you saw those photos from Yukiko and Souji and said you wished you were there. What was with that?"

"What?" Yosuke says, and unhooks his headphones. Chie thinks about telling him what a crummy boyfriend he is. Why are all boys such bad listeners? "Oh," he says when he catches her expression. "I mean, I dunno, I was wondering, wouldn't it be cool to go on a double date or something?"

... and that's how Yosuke decides a double date would be the best idea in the world, both to cement their relationship, as well as Yukiko and Souji's.

Chie watches him attempting to wheedle Yukiko and Souji into joining them for dinner and movies. He wheedles for almost the entire lunch break, and then in the brief lulls in between classes, until everyone in the vicinity gets annoyed and Souji finally says 'yes' to shut him up.

She should've known it was destined for failure the moment they went into the movie theatre and had to get seated. She should've known it wasn't meant to be, when they cluster awkwardly at the aisle and try to figure out who sits where.

"Okay, where do you want to sit?" she asks him. Yosuke opens and shuts his mouth several times. He looks a little like a goldfish; if he put his headphones on, it'd help the resemblance even more. Maybe a piebald one -- white mottled with orange -- given his colour scheme. Yukiko would appreciate the image, she thinks.

"Okay, so," Yosuke says slowly. "You're  _my_  date and Souji's  _Yukiko_ 's date. So ... why don't we sit like ...  _that_." He makes vague hand gestures, as though to illustrate his point.

"Sure," Souji says, and moves to sit down. Yukiko settles in next to him.

"I'll sit next to Yukiko, then," Chie says automatically. Souji shifts his knees as she squeezes past.

"And I'll sit next to partner," Yosuke says.

"Uh," Souji says as Yukiko snorts discreetly into her hand. The effect is ruined by the fact that the sound is anything but discreet. "But that means ... you won't be sitting together ... ? That sort of defeats the point of the double date."

"Who said anything about sitting together?" Chie asks and then realises what she just said. She's glad the theatre's dimly-lit.

"But we're partners first and foremost, right?" Yosuke says at the same time, his voice escalating somewhat from a whisper.

"Y-you're ... we're on a -- pffthahaha -- double date, right?"

"Yosuke," Souji says in a very controlled voice. He puts his face in his hands. "Yosuke, stop shouting, all the other moviegoers are looking at us."

They get kicked out of the movie theatre after someone in the row behind complains about them obscuring the ads, or something.

... and that's how they end up back at Junes for dinner.

"But at least we're on a round table, so no issues there, huh!" Yosuke says all-too-cheerily. Nobody is particularly amused, with the possible exception of Yukiko.

"Yosuke," Souji says very, very quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Please shut up," Chie finishes. She high-fives Souji discreetly under the table. It's more of a halfhearted slap, really, but she's in no mood for celebrating.

.

**5.**

Yosuke texts her the next morning. She's a little weirded out. The last time he did that, they weren't even together. He hadn't even graduated from sending her badly-worded dirty jokes.

_> From: fresh prince of junes_   
_> > did i come off as 2 clingy_

_> You sent:_   
_> > yosueke its 6am cant this wait until we see each other_   
_> > u kno like in 2 HRS_

_> From: fresh prince of junes_   
_> > chie wat if i was 2 foward???????_

When she doesn't reply within two minutes, he texts again.

_> From: fresh prince of junes_   
_> > r u ignorign me_   
_> > ok srsly i miss hangin out w partner!!! since we started d8ing and since he + yukiko started d8ing we havent had time 2 hang out and i miss that u digg_   
_> > should i make a bento 2 appologise_   
_> > a nice homade bento liek not fr junes_   
_> > wat do u think he likes_

_> You sent:_   
_> > hahahahahahahahahhhahwhwhwwwwwwwwwww_   
_> > wow ur rly pulling out the stops 4 me huh_   
_> > uomgggggggggggg_   
_> > uuuu???? make a bento???? christmas's come early_   
_> > 4 souji kun nyway_   
_> > i mean since when did u even think about making me anything_

_> From: fresh prince of junes_   
_> > w8 wat do u mena_   
_> > omfg chie r u bein srs rite now_   
_> > ur 1 2 talk!!!!!! u never dress up when ur gg out w me_

_> You sent:_   
_> > waht_

_> From: fresh prince of junes_   
_> > last nite U WORE SKORTS_   
_> > n u didnt wear sneakers_

_> You sent:_   
_> > omG YOSUKE WHAT IS WRONG WU THEY WERENT SKORTS_

_> From: fresh prince of junes_   
_> > YOU WORE MAKEUP_

_> You sent:_   
_> > so????????????_   
_> > i like 2 wear it sumtimes wats that 2 u_   
_> > god ur a headcase plz go back 2 sleep_   
_> > or @ least let me go back 2 slep its 2 early 4 tihs_

_> From: fresh prince of junes_   
_> > wHEN WE GO OUT U NEVR WEAR MAKEUP!!!!_   
_> > WHEN WE GO OUT UR USUALLY KINDA GROSS N SWEATY AFTER PRACTICING UR JACKIE CHAN STUNTS or watevr u usually go_   
_> > no fofence_

_> You sent:_   
_> > WHO R U CALLIGN GROSS + SWEATY U ALWAYS HAVE SWEATY HANDS_   
_> > I JUST NEVER SAID ANYTHING_

_> From: fresh prince of junes_   
_> > DO U NOT SEE ME AS UR BF OR SOMETHING_   
_> > BOYFRIEND NOT BESTFRIEND_

_> You sent:_   
_> > WAT MAKES U SAYTHAT_   
_> > SAY THAT 2 MY FACE U JERK_

He doesn't reply after that, and she rolls back over and goes back to sleep. She forgets about what happened until lunch break, when Yosuke sheepishly hands her a bowl of instant spicy beef ramen.

"Sorry about waking you up," he says. She carefully sets the plastic bowl down beside her and places the disposable chopsticks over the flap. For a moment, she feels touched. Weirdly sentimental, even. It's like the most boyfriendly thing he's done for her.

Yosuke sits down beside her; for once, he doesn't make a move to help himself to her noodles. Technically, they're his noodles. But she appreciates the gesture, nonetheless.

"Y'know, Chie. I was kinda thinking about what we talked about this morning, and some of the stuff you've said before. Some of the stuff  _I've_  said before, while we're at that."

"Yes," she says. She has a sneaking suspicion on where this is headed.

"I was thinking, maybe we should, I dunno--"

"See someone else?"

"--put a hold on the dating thing for a while. Hey, wai--what?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, technicalities." She waves dismissively, and checks on her noodles. Still a bit on the crunchy side. "Sure, if it makes you feel better."

(And it'll make her feel better too, she thinks. She can't be the only one who's seen this coming from a mile away. She can't be the only one to feel like she'd been hurtling towards a foregone conclusion. How long had they been playing at this, anyway?

In hindsight, she doesn't know who they were trying to convince.)

"We still friends, then?" Yosuke asks very awkwardly. "I mean. This is, like, we're technically, this is technically a breakup, isn't it?"

"You broke up with me first," she says. "Jerk," she tacks on as an afterthought. It doesn't feel right otherwise. "But since you brought me lunch, we're square."

"Thanks," he says and sighs. Chie punches him on the shoulder more out of habit than anything.

.

**+1.**

It's two weeks after their breakup-but-not-quite-breakup; two weeks spent pretending they're still together while Yosuke alternates between avoiding her and avoiding  _Souji_ , and texting her at various ungodly hours to cryptically ask for advice. It's two weeks of sticking with him -- in whatever weird relationship this is, because she most certainly doesn't think they're dating any more, even if on paper it looks like they are -- until he runs out of excuses.

She tires of the predawn texts and visits him one evening with an armful of magazines. Yosuke sees the titles on the covers and immediately wrinkles his nose. "Relationship advice columns?" he asks.

"The sort of questions you ask me are sorta phrased like the ones in here," she says and he shuts up. He flips listlessly through a few of them, not bothering to read the columns; while he's at it she liberates his game controller from him and spends the better part of half an hour beating up opponents in a fighting game.

"Chie, we need to talk," he says at last, when he stops pretending to riffle through magazine pages.

She thinks, irrationally, of American TV shows and what happens every time someone says something like that. It's usually proceeded by something like, 'I'm pregnant', but that doesn't seem like a possible outcome of this conversation.

She button-mashes aimlessly a few more times, downing the leopard-headed guy on her screen with a flying kick. "Okay," she says and sets the controller down. Her character does a victory pose that involves a lot of flexing.

"Chie, I've, uh, I've been thinking for a while, and I think ... I think I like someone ... else ..." He trails off and tries to meet her eyes but chickens out halfway through.

Well, okay. This is just like in American TV shows, too. "Okay," she says again, playing along. Then, "is it Souji?"

At the same time, Yosuke takes a deep breath, exhales through his nose, and blurts out "it's Souji" and chokes a little bit when he hears her. "W-wait, what?"

"What?"

"What d'you mean,  _what_?"

They continue this ineffectual, back-and-forth a few more times until Yosuke sags in defeat. "How long did you know?"

"Long enough," she says. It's true enough, anyways. "I because it was probably the same for both of us." There was nothing probable about it.

"Oh."

She cradles the game controller in her hands. She knows what he's talking about -- it's about every little thing has added up over the weeks. The whole thinking-of-someone-else-while-someone-kisses-you thing. The whole I-wish-I-were-somewhere-else thing. The whole making-out-with-each-other-felt-weird thing.

"Yeah." She pauses, then says, "so, when're you gonna tell him?"

"Hahaha,  _never_ ," Yosuke says. She can't see him too well out of the corner of her eye, but she thinks he looks sad, perhaps. "What 'bout you?"

She doesn't really know how honest she is when she says, "I dunno". Maybe she will, maybe she won't. "Maybe I'll tell her tomorrow. Or next week. Or next month. Next year. Y'know, you should tell him too. Eventually."

Yosuke laughs; he sounds tired. "Uh, no."

"Before he leaves," she says, because Souji isn't Yukiko. Because he hasn't got an inn to inherit, because it was only ever going to be for a year. "He won't be in Inaba forever, Yosuke."

"Not like some, huh?" he asks. He doesn't sound bitter; just resigned. "Yeah, I know."

**Author's Note:**

> I've been slapping ineffectually at this for a long time. By which I mean, ever since I wrote _[giants](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1585772)_.
> 
> That being said, I don't think I'm an inherently funny person; I don't write very good humour. For this comedy of errors, you only have my dear friend and enabler Morr to thank for edging me along the way and making the jokes write themselves. ... who am I kidding, the Yosuke's the joke and he just makes them keep rolling.


End file.
